FOLLOWING a heavy downpour of rain early yesterday morning, several areas in Georgetown were flooded, with Meadow Bank and some sections of Ruimveldt being the most severely affected.

However, by midday yesterday, the floodwaters had receded from most of the residences that were affected, though pockets of water were still evident in some yards and along access streets.

Residents from the affected communities told the Chronicle that just after 04:00 hrs. yesterday, the water level began rising steadily and by 05:30 hrs. it had reached 45 - 60 centimetres high in different areas, flooding residential bridges and seeping into shops beyond their counters.

There was no reported damage to property, but residents complained that most of the drains in their areas are clogged and have not been cleaned in a very long time, despite payments of rates and taxes to the Georgetown City Council.

One Meadow Bank resident told the Chronicle that residents had formed themselves into a self-help group to help clean the drains, but because of the enormity of the work involved it was not practicable to continue, and at the same time they were paying rates and taxes.

"I have been living here for the past 11 years and I cannot recall the City Council carrying out any cleaning of drains," the resident complained.

Residents also recalled that in the past during high tides and heavy rains, there was some amount of flooding but the water levels never rose to such heights, and blamed the poor state of drainage for the flooding.

Efforts to get a comment on the situation from the Mayor of Georgetown and the Chief Hydromet Officer were unsuccessful. - (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)